#14 Researching Social Media Management Tools (AKA, Trying to Organize My Chaos)

Jun 4

So, I finally did it. I dove headfirst into the overwhelming world of social media management tools because, let’s be real, I need something to keep me from drowning in content creation.

Do I think every author needs to invest in a social media scheduler? No. But I am a chaos goblin and I’m chronically ill (not the best life combo 😅). I know if I don’t plan ahead, I’ll either burn out or disappear for weeks when life inevitably happens. So, here we are.

What I Was Looking For in a Social Media Management Tool

Since I’m managing six platforms (Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and Threads to start. Then TikTik and YouTube—and eventually, Facebook, because life is unfair), I needed a tool that could:

Handle all or most of my chosen platforms.
Let me schedule & cross post content easily (because writing fresh content for each platform? Nope).
Post to WordPress (or another blog platform) (because if I can automate posting blogs too, I will).
Offer analytics so I can track what’s working (or flopping).
Be cost-effective (because I’d rather spend money on books and snacks).

The Top Contenders & How They Stack Up (For Me & My Goals)

Caveat #1: This is just how they stacked up based on my preferences and what I was specifically looking for to make my life easier. This is not sponsored and I’m not saying X platform is the greatest thing ever and you’re wrong if you don’t think so. It’s just how I graded them! Find the one that works for you and go with it.

Caveat #2: I reserve the right to change my mind! I’m a very indecisive human (see previous chaos goblin comment 😬), but if I change my mind or go with something else, I’ll let you know.

  
      Platform
      Supports My 6 Socials?
      Wordpress Support?
      Key Features
      Downsides
    

  
      Metricool (Winner?)
      Yes (+ Google Ads & Facebook)
      Yes
      Competitor & influencer analysis, stock images, alt text editing, analytics
      Clunky interface, not intuitive
    

      Buffer
      Yes
      ❌ No
      Easy-to-use dashboard, post previews, hashtag tools
      ❌ No WordPress, bad reliability reviews
    

      Sendible
      ❌ No (Missing Pinterest & Threads)
      Yes
      Supports WordPress, intuitive scheduling
      ❌ Doesn’t support all my socials
    

      SocialBee
      ❌ No (No WordPress)
      ❌ No
       Post categories, variations per platform, reposting evergreen content
       ❌ No WordPress integration
    

      Missinglettr
      ❌ No (No TikTok, no Threads)
      ❌ No
      AI-powered post scheduling, detects blog posts & creates posts automatically
      ❌ Limited social platform support
    

      Loomly
      ❌ No (No Threads)
      ❌ No
      Unified inbox for managing comments & messages
      ❌ Lacking support for Threads
    

Why I Chose Metricool (Even Though the Interface is Meh 😬)

At the end of the day, Metricool just did the most for the least money.

It covers all my socials. (Which was shockingly hard to find.)
It has WordPress integration. (Bless.)
It offers analytics. (So I can track whether my content strategy is genius or just me yelling into the void.)
It has a free plan. (A huge plus if you’re just starting out and don’t want to commit yet.)

Would I love a prettier, more intuitive interface? Yes. But functionality won over aesthetics this time.

Future To-Do List

Test Metricool’s scheduling system with a batch of posts.
Set up my content categories for easier organization.
Experiment with competitor analysis to see what’s working for other authors.
Try very, VERY hard to stick with the plan and not let my chaos goblin tendencies win.

Final Thoughts: Do You Really Need a Social Media Scheduler? I Mean Like Really?

Not necessarily. If you love posting in real-time and don’t mind keeping track of everything manually, you can totally skip the extra expense.

But if you:
✔️ Are juggling multiple platforms.
✔️ Want to schedule in advance so you can take breaks (hello, chronically ill friends!).
✔️ Need some level of automation to stay consistent...

...then a social media scheduler might save your spoons and energy.

What About You?

Have you ever used a social media management tool? If so, which one and how did it work out for you? 👀 Or are you just winging it (respect 👏)? Let me know in the comments!

✉️ Want to follow my indie-publishing journey? Subscribe to my newsletter for more chaotic insights and publishing updates.

Maisie Meyers